A Guide to Success in Grade Nine

2

Student Voice

Art by Liisa Sorsa and Disa Kauk1

This guide is a compilation of suggestions made for you, the incoming Grade Nine students to Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute (ACCI), by our current and former students in Grades 10 to 12.

It is our hope that these pages will make your transition to high school an easy and successful experience in the coming years. The following pages will provide ideas to help guide you to success in your coming years with ACCI.

One of the most important things to help ensure your success is your voice. In the image above produced by students in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, students gathered with teachers and members of the Ministry to share what they needed to promote success: they said they needed to have their voice heard to be successful.2 It is important that you feel comfortable voicing your needs and desires in your school community and we hope that you will feel encouraged to do so at ACCI.

____________________________________________________

1 MoE, "The Work of Past Councils," Student Voice, 3 May 2016.

2 MoE, “Welcome to Student Voice,” Ontario.ca/Speak Up, Queen’s Printer, 8 Feb 2016.

3

Get Involved and Make Friends

“Speak your mind, and don't let anyone stop you.” –Student

We know that often the hardest part of transitioning to a different school is making new friends. To that end, we have the Grade 9 Orientation Day early in September. This is an excellent opportunity for you to meet some of your peers here at ACCI.

Your Student Advisory Council will lead you through a variety of locations in the building and engage you in fun ice-breaking activities.

Another great way to meet people is to join a team or club!

We have many programs, extracurricular activities, and choices to offer. We have clubs that aim at stimulating students intellectually such as the Debate Club, which holds an in-school debating competition and produces a quarterly newsletter discussing current and controversial issues in society. We also have the chess club, DECA, Math teams and many more. Many student groups raise money for worthy causes. For example: the GST club raises money to combat cancer, and the Rouge Valley Foundation Club fundraises for Rouge Valley Health System Hospital.

We also have clubs for…

“The orientation day, it is a great way for the students to meet new friends and build bonds. I think it definitely

might help students who are shy/alone to find a new friend

or two and find a sense of belonging in Campbell.”

—Student

Breakfast (free & open daily at 8:00am)

Athletics

Music

Drama

English

Science & Technology

Mathematics Clubs

ACCI MUN - Model UN

Special Interest Clubs

Service & Support Groups And more…3

4

Communicating with your Teacher

Be a self-advocate! Do not be afraid to speak with your teacher.

If you have a problem, start first by addressing it with your teacher.

If you feel uncomfortable speaking directly with the teacher or you feel the teacher was not able to satisfactorily respond, you may next request an appointment with your Vice-Principal or the Principal in the Main Office.

From home, you or your parents should feel free to contact the school. You can contact the school and ask for your teacher’s department extension or to be transferred. You may need to leave voice mail, so plan on the potentiality of leaving a message. Make sure to very clearly leave your call back information so the teacher can get back to you.

If you prefer email as a means of communication, the standard format for TDSB email addresses are first and last names @ tdsb.on.ca. For Example, John.Doe@tdsb.on.ca

Your parents may also choose to involve themselves, either by following the above process or by attending parent teacher night. They could also join School Council (on the first Tuesday of every second month beginning in October).

Contact Information

Main Line: 416-396-6684

(listen to options or dial “0”)

Administrative Extensions:

Ms. Richards-Sauer… 20010

Ms. Chandi (M-Z)… 20012

Mr. Fisher (A-L)… 20013

Department Extensions:

Guidance… 20041

Academic Resource… 20140

Art… 20100

Business… 20105

COOP… 20047

Computers… 20115

Drama… 20136

English… 20091

ESL… 20092

Family Studies… 20137

Geography… 20075

History… 20085

Library… 20020

Mathematics… 20080

Moderns (French)… 20141

Music… 20135

Physical Education… 20030

Science… 20159

Student Success… 20139

Technical Education… 20138

5

School Information & Volunteer Hours

Your peers listed the following as the best tools to use to become informed about school news.

*Facebook Group “Campbell News and Updates”

Your peers note that connecting with Google Apps for Education (e.g. Drive and Classroom), will be a huge benefit: “Classroom and docs is important to keep track of things and also keep your work organized. You can even communicate with your teachers and do group projects on docs.” — Student

According to your peers, the best places to gather information on community hours are*:

“Personally I only did my community hours in grade 11 which was kind of

late. My advice would be to get your community hours done during Gr 9 and 10 when your course loads are a lot lower and there isn't as much work. A great way to find opportunities for community hours is to visit the guidance

office board where they post new listings.” — Student

“Do something that you actually enjoy so that it will feel like a fun activity yet you're still getting hours as well as doing something that doesn't conflict

with your school work.” — Student

“Volunteer at places other than the school to help get you the experience you need.” — Student

“Finish them early because once you're in grade 11 or 12, you'll probably want to spend your time finding an actual job instead and you need references. You need

references in grade 10 careers as well.” — Student

*

e.g. @ACCI_GUIDANCE; @ACCI_Library

____________________________________________________

* Remember you need to complete 40-hours of community service by the end of Grade 12.

6

Mental Well-Being

The Ministry of Education notes that members of Canada’s First Nations have known for a long time that the healthy development of the mind, body, and spirit is built on balance and inter-connectedness. The following, from “Ontario’s Well-Being Strategy for Education,” defines well-being and its aspects:

What is Well-Being?

Well-being is a positive sense of self, spirit and belonging that we feel when our cognitive, emotional, social and physical needs are being met. It is supported through equity and respect for our diverse identities and strengths. Well-being in early years and school settings is about helping children and students become resilient, so that they can make positive and healthy choices to support learning and achievement both now and in the future. 4

The Four Domains of Well-Being

Cognitive: The

development of abilities and skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and the ability to be flexible and innovative.

Emotional: This involves

learning about experiencing emotions, and understanding how to recognize, manage, and cope with them.

Social: The development of

self-awareness, including the sense of belonging, collaboration, relationships with others, and communication skills.

Physical: The development of the body, impacted by physical

activity, sleep patterns, healthy eating, and healthy life choices.5

____________________________________________________

4 MoE, Ontario’s Well-Being Strategy for Education: Discussion Document, 2016, 3.

5 MoE, “Ontario’s Well-Being Strategy for Education,” Ministry of Education, Queen’s

Printer, 6 May 2016.

7

Art by Liisa Sorsa6

The illustration above represents student’s thoughts on how well-being looks and feels.7

Research from the past 10 years provides strong evidence that a healthy sense of wellbeing is deeply connected to academic success. Academic success requires a student to feel safe and supported.8 According to Ontario Physical and Health Education Association, “Students who feel better learn better, but well-being is about much more than physical health. True well-being also requires mental health and is linked emotional state and to a supportive environment and positive social interactions.”9

To help you navigate any issues you may have such as struggles with peers or at home, academic issues, pathways, etc., ACCI offers a variety of supports available to help you through Student Services.

8

Student Services

To support wellbeing at ACCI we have Guidance counsellors available to you. You can make an appointment to see your assigned counsellor, or if it is an emergency, just let the secretary know and she will get you in to see the next available counsellor. From here you might also be connected with:

The Student Success department, which is available to

provide some extra assistance to students identified as in need;

The school-based Social Worker who is specifically trained

to provide social-emotional support;

The Settlement Worker who is trained to help newcomers

navigate various political and social processes;

Student Services can also connect you with a variety of Community Partners that offer different services according to your needs (e.g.

East Metro Youth Services or Tropicana)

In addition to the newly revised Health and Physical Education Curriculum, which provides significant opportunities for students to learn about well-being, at ACCI we strive to provide a “Safe and Accepting Environment” by offering:

A student run and elected advisory council;

Peer Support for students with special needs in the Academic Resource department;

A Health and Wellness Club (the staff advisor is Ms. Wiggins);

A commitment to anti-bullying awareness.

How to deal with bullying

Bullying is a deliberate act of abuse against another person, whether physical or emotional, whether in person or online. If you witness or become the target of bullying, report it!

If you believe you are the target of bullying, speak with your teacher, guidance counsellor, or administrator immediately.10 If you are more comfortable remaining anonymous, you can report it to the TDSB Student Safety Line (416-395-‎SAFE) anonymously and confidentially.

____________________________________________________

10 For more see: “Cyber Safety Tips,” TorontoPolice.on.ca, October 2007.

9

Healthy Habits of Mind

A habit of mind is when something comes naturally to you. Habits take about six weeks to develop, so it takes time, practice and consistent effort to develop healthy school-related habits of mind. If success does not come immediately, do not give up. We learn from our mistakes, and we learn over time.11

Selected Habits of Mind:

1. persisting (not giving up); 2. managing impulsivity (focusing); 3. listen to understand (as opposed to listening to speak); 4. thinking flexibly (being open-minded); 5. striving for accuracy; 6. constant questioning; 7. take responsible risks (meet new people and ask questions); 8. thinking and communicating with clarity and precision.12

Resilience:

Resilience is one of the most import traits you can develop. It means you do not easily quit. See the Angela Duckworth video (referenced on page 11) for more on resilience and what she calls ‘grit’.11

Healthy Living Tips:

Here is a tip from a campaign called LIVE 54321+8 (courtesy of The Ontario Family Studies Home Economics Educators' Association):13

For more information, visit http://grade9survivalguide.weebly.com/mental-health.html

Every Day, Students Need… 5 servings of fruits and

vegetables* 4 glasses of water* 3 good laughs 2 or fewer hours of screen

time 1 hour of physical activity Plus 8 hours of sleep

____________________________________________________

11 "New Student Orientation," Student Success, York Mills CI, accessed July 16, 2016,

http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/yorkmillsci/StudentSuccess.aspx.

12 Arthur L. Costa, “Describing the Habits of Mind,” ASCD.org, 2008.

13 "New Student Orientation," and “Live 54321+8,” 2012, Learning ZoneXpress, accessed

July 19, 2016.

*Come join us for

our Breakfast Club

(open daily from

8:00 am to 8:45

am) to help get a

start on your

nutritional

requirements.x

10

Growth Mindset

At ACCI we believe in Growth Mindset. There are two approaches to understanding mindset - a fixed and a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence is cannot change. Either you are smart, or you are not. A growth mindset, however, is the belief that intelligence is dynamic and that the brain changes based on experiences.14

____________________________________________________

6 MoE, "The Work of Past Councils," Student Voice, 3 May 2016.

7 MoE, "Student Voice: 2015-16 Minister's Student Advisory Council," Ontario.ca/Speak Up,

Queen’s Printer, 5 Mar 2016. 8 MoE, Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario, 15, April 2014.

9 "A Renewed Focus on Student Well-Being,” Ophea.net, May 5, 2014.

____________________________________________________

14 Hunter’s Glen Public School, “Growth Mindset,” Schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/HuntersGlen, n.d..

11

Videos on Habits of the Mind

Below are a few short videos on Mindset worth watching:

Eduardo Briceno, “The Power of belief: mindset and success,” TEDxManhattanBeach, 18 November 2012. https://youtu.be/pN34FNbOKXc

Angela Lee Duckworth, “Grit: The power of passion and perseverance,” TED.com, November 2013. http://bit.ly/28OsF8R

Carol Dweck, “The power of believing that you can improve,” TED.com, November 2014. http://bit.ly/1wBJmZ6

12

Study & Research Skills

The following are some study suggestions that were put together for incoming students at Penns Valley High School:

To prepare for a test or quiz:

1. Study material in small sections for several days/evenings leading up to the day of the test.

2. Review class notes and graphic organizers. 3. Practice, practice, practice. (Concept, skill, equation, etc.) 4. Ask teacher for help with questions you still have PRIOR to the test date. 5. Study and quiz with a classmate.

15

On a test, use the Answer, Cite, Respond (ACE) strategy to respond to open-ended prompts:

Answer the question

a) Make sure that you completely answer the question. b) Use key words from the question in your responses.

Cite evidence from the text to support your answer

a) Cite evidence from the readings, graphs or illustrations to support, b) Prove or explain—examples include data, quotes, etc.

Expand; extend; explain your answer

a) Extend your response by explaining the connection between the information that you cited and the answer.

b) Make it clear that you know the answer because of the evidence 16

Get Extra Help

For Math you can go to www.homeworkhelp.ilc.org to get Math Homework Help for grades 9-10. For grades 9-12 you can go to http://ca.ixl.com.

KhanAcademy.org provides short videos on various subjects, including Math, Science, Computer Science, History (e.g. causes of WWI/WWII), Economics and Finance, Art History, and more. The videos review topics like a lesson with visuals and colours and even provide practice questions.

YouTube.com/user/crashcourse also has videos, covering subjects like Biology, History (World & U.S.), Psychology, Literature (including Shakespeare), Chemistry, Ecology, and Geography (e.g. the Ice Age).17

____________________________________________________

15 9th Grade Survival Guide for Students & Parents (Spring Mills, PA: Penns Valley High

School, 2014-2015), 8.

16 9th Grade Survival Guide, 13.

17 Leaside High School, Extra Help and Study Skills (Toronto, ON: TDSB).

13

____________________________________________________

18 "Getting Started With… Google Apps for Education" (slideshow), Digital Lead Learners

and Teaching & Learning with Technology, TDSB, 2016. * Note: Staff and Students may have a # in their account if there is another person in TDSB with the same name. Google Classroom: https://sites.google.com/a/tdsb.on.ca/dll/workshop-resources/getting-started-with-google-classroom

Use the Library for Research

The Library is open every day from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. The teacher-librarians and a team of helpful volunteers are here to help you. You can also access many of the library’s resources online. To get there, go to http://schoolweb.tdsb. on.ca/albertcampbell and select ‘Library’ from the menu column on the left.

To guide you through the research process the board has created the “Research Success” document for high school students (see sample pages below). You can find a copy at:

http://www2.tdsb.on.ca/Libraries/files/research_guides.htm (the password is: tdsbresearch)

Another helpful tool is BibMe.org for creating bibliographies.

Get Access to Google Apps for Education

Google Apps for Education (GAFE) is a group of online tools. Through it, you can get access to cloud based storage, your TDSB email, free Word Processing, Spreadsheet, and Presentation software, as well as much of your online classroom materials.18 Every student has an account attached to an email address following this formula: firstname.lastname@students.tdsb.on.ca.*

For a more detailed description of Google Apps for Education and how to access them you can view a short slideshow or a short video at the links provided. http://bit.ly/29IbpCa

https://youtu.be/Iw3T0OzR5Uk

14

What You Should Know

Lunch: ACCI has one lunch period for all students from 11:25 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Students may bring their lunch from home or purchase from the school cafeteria or Woodside Mall.

Study Time: Students may study before and/or after school as well as during their lunch period. Studying may be done in the Library, Cafeteria or Forum.

Peer-Tutoring: Students in need of assistance with their core subjects can report to the Academic Resource department after school.

Lockers: Administration attempts to place lockers for grade 9 students on the first floor and to assign lockers that are close to their classrooms.

Administration: Mrs. Richards-Sauer, Principal: Should you have any concerns in school and have talked to your teacher and/or vice-principal and are still in need of assistance, your principal, Ms. Richards-Sauer is available to you.

Mr. Fisher, Vice-Principal: If your last name begins with any letter from A to L, Mr. Fisher will be your vice-principal.

Mrs. Chandi, Vice-Principal: If your last name begins with any letter from M to Z, Ms. Chandi will be your vice-principal.

Personal Information: For safety reasons, it is crucial that the school always have the most updated information about students. Please inform the office regarding any changes e.g. medical, address, contact information, etc.

School Contact Information: Main Office 416-396-6684

Dial option #1 for student absences (please leave your name and student number)

Dial option #3 for Guidance Department Dial option #4 for Academic Resources

Student Planners: Students should have their agenda books each day in order to record their homework assignments, etc.

____________________________________________________

3 For a full list go to the Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute’s webpage at

http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/albertcampbell/Extracurricular.aspx

15

Getting around the Building

16

Helpful Links

School Webpage: http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/albertcampbell/Home.aspx

Twitter Accounts:

@ALBERTCAMP_TDSB

@ACCI_GUIDANCE

@ACCI_Library

@ACCI_History

(more departments to follow)

MyBlueprint (for course selection and career planning): https://www.myblueprint.ca/

Academic Workspace: https://aw.tdsb.on.ca

Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive

Google Classroom: https://classroom.google.com

School Library: http://www.tdsb.on.ca/findyour/schools/librarycat.aspx?schoolno=4120

“I found that I needed a lot of past knowledge from the previous courses to help

me do well in Gr11 & 12. If you slack off in your freshmen years you will come to regret

it in your senior years, I feel that emphasizing good working habits early on is very important. You really need to try hard

in your studies every year.” — Student